Zoho Connect Internal and External Users / Members / Guests

Zoho Connect Internal and External Users / Members / Guests

Hey Zohoholics!

I'm going to apologize in advance for asking a question that seems to have ben asked before.....but the whole thing is still very confusing (and maybe a bit concerning).

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Zoho and really would like to use Zoho Connect for my external mastermind group and course participants.

I have been playing around with Zoho Connect for some time to try to see if it's really the right tool for me and keep gettin stuck with the pricing and member scenarios. 

So this is my understanding and confusion...

I have Zoho One, and am able to create an internal and external network.

The internal network allows me to create "EXTERNAL USERS" (not sure how many though).

The external network allows me to create "EXTERNAL MEMBERS"  or "EXTERNAL GUESTS"

It's my understanding that External  Members have MORE functionality than External Guests.....  presumably because they are actually creating Zoho Accounts.

So here is my confusion.... I want to invite GUESTS because I don't want them to create zoho accounts and I really don't mind the more limited functionality....but it appears in order to add these guests with limited functionality....we have to pay $100/month in addition to the Zoho One subscription, which is over DOUBLE the cost of the ENTIRE Zoho One platform.

So here are my questions....

Is it true that users (called guests) still have less functionality?

Is it true that the ability to add GUESTS to external networks is not included in Zoho One (when I try to add a guest it says I'm on the FREE plan)

Is there any plan in between ZERO guests and 100 guests?

INSIGHT FROM THE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE:

I am going to say this only because I know Zoho likes to compete and know what others are doing out there...which is fantastic.  But another massively popular option for unlimited-member communities out there is selling for $23/month and $97/m for the added ability to design and deliver courses inside the network. I won't say which one here out of respect for zoho. I've just never seen Zoho so far out of the competitive price range on any product they have ever created.

I hope I'm not stepping out of line by saying that, but in another post I was reading, someone said it was welcome because Zoho doesn't mind referencing other products.

So I'm confused.  I love Zoho and will continue to be a big supporter as long as it's feasible.  I just feel I must be missing something.  Going from "included with zoho one" to add $100/m for external guests seems like a pretty steep climb...so do I have something wrong here, or am I missing something?

Of course, I don't mind paying for add-ons but when an add-on is over DOUBLE the price of the ENTIRE Zoho One platform, it can seem to many of us like a "bait and switch".  That kind of jump is not what I'd expect from Zoho given their mission and dedication to affordability.  And again, if I have this wrong, I really do apologize. I've been wrong before!  I'm trying not to jump to conclusions!

I have been using Zoho for about five years, and have been using just a few apps to their potential..... I have been hesitant to go "all in" with the whole ecosystem because I'm beginning to see potential red flags that what started as a super-affordable platform for my business may become very expensive once I start digging into it more and see that adding functions are going to increase my costs by 100%

I've always seen Zoho One as being a very cool "beta" because when I first committed to it years ago (I actually have two Zoho One accounts), most of the apps outside of CRM were very buggy and not really ready for "prime time".   I always thought the pricing was the "reward' for hanging in there.  But as some of the apps are getting more mature, I fear Zoho One members will slowly get priced out....as would be the case with a $100/month community app.  

If this same scenario plays out with 2-3 apps, then Zoho One ceases to be Zoho One in the eyes of customers like me.

Again, I love the vision of Zoho....and I hope this is not seen as a disrespectful post, but one of confusion and maybe, depending on the answer....one of concern.  

Have a great day, and thank you!

    • Recent Topics

    • Fixed assets recording

      Hello there, I recorded a bill for a vendor contain (Computer) so the PC is a fixed assets, do I need to do a manual journal to include this PC under the fixed assets category (furniture & equipment)? If yes, please take me through the manual journal
    • [New Release 2024] Create and embed custom capabilities across CRM with Kiosk Studio, our latest no-code tool

      [Update | New series] We've started publishing a series of posts on Kiosk Studio. It's called Kiosk Studio Sessions and you can check out the first one here! [Update | 15 Oct} Session #2 is live! This one will look at how to create a kiosk for your call
    • Multi-Select lookup field has reached its maximum??

      Hi there, I want to create a multi-select lookup field in a module but I can't select the model I want the relationship to be with from the list. From the help page on this I see that you can only create a max of 2 relationships per module? Is that true?
    • Kaizen #168 - Incremental Authorization

      Welcome to this week's post in the Kaizen series. In this post, we will discuss Incremental Authorization. What is Incremental Authorization? Incremental Authorization is an OAuth strategy that allows a client to request specific authorization scopes
    • Zoho Analytics Pivot Table - How to compare month vs last year same month

      Hi, I had created a pivot table with setup as below: Column: - Delivery Date Row: - Customer Group Data as column - Total amount (sum > normal) (show data of the month) - Total amount (sum > % difference from previous value) (compare between this month
    • Configure Notes Title for Blueprint Transition

      It'd be very helpful to be able to configure note titles on blueprint transitions when requiring notes. This would help tie back the history of notes to the blueprint actions. We have some approval processes in our blueprint and require notes for the
    • An update to improve email delivery | Email Authentication & Relay

      Dear Zoho Recruit Community, We hope this message finds you well. This post is to inform you about an important update regarding the authentication of all email domains in your Zoho Recruit account. Effective 31st December, 2024, emails sent using email
    • Stop adding Default ID column to xls exports

      When anything is exported to xls, Zoho adds a column with an ID.  WE DO NOT WANT THIS COLUMN.  We use an automated report to a team.  We have our own tracking number.  1. This makes the report messy, it just pushes OUR data off to the right.  2. We have
    • Automation#25: Move Tickets to Unassigned When the Owner Is Offline

      Hello Everyone, Welcome to this week's Community Series! 'Tis the holiday season—a time when work often takes a brief pause. The holiday spirit is in full swing at Zylker Techfix too, with employees taking some well-deserved time off. During this period,
    • Zoho cases and remote work api

      How to use zoho cases listing api? When i try to hit the endpoint specified in the docs , i get the error : the page you are looking for does not exist with a 401.
    • Calendly does not show scheduled Meetings

      I use Calendly as my standard booking tool, but no matter what I am doing, Calendly shows any appointment as free (when in fact there already is an appointment in CRM Calendar or Zoho Calendar). Drives me nuts - cannot go away from Calendly due to various
    • Delete Field that is used in a Zoho Flow connection

      I'm trying to delete a Field used in a Webhook created by Zoho Flow with CRM Connection and i get the following alert: When going to the alert i get to the following issue, can't edit it since its been deployed by a pluggin But yes i have here the prompted
    • I want the currency in my account to be Mexican pesos.

      Hello, I am a Mexican citizen and live in Ukraine. When I registered to your system, it was seen that I was from Ukraine, so the default currency is Euro. This is causing me a problem. Please change the standard currency in my account to Mexican Pes
    • Directly Edit, Filter, and Sort Subforms on the Details Page

      Hello everyone, As you know, subforms allow you to associate multiple line items with a single record, greatly enhancing your data organization. For example, a sales order subform neatly lists all products, their quantities, amounts, and other relevant
    • Year-End Wrap: Don't rewrite - Switch to Email Templates

      As we're half-way through December, now is the perfect time to start sending out festive greetings. Whether it is to your clients or your team, it is important that every mail is tailored to the recipient and feels genuine, which allows you to make better
    • Elevating Email Security on Zoho Desk: DKIM Now Mandatory

      Hello Zoho Desk Users! It has been a wonderful journey with you on Zoho Desk. As we prepare to welcome 2025, we are strengthening our efforts to ensure a secure and seamless experience for you. To enhance email security, DKIM configuration will be mandatory
    • How to view shared mailbox in Outlook

      How to view shared mailbox in Outlook or in another software
    • Clear String field based on the value of other field

      Hello everyone, We would like to be able to clear a string field (delete whatever has been written and make it empty) when another field (picklist) is changed to a specific value. While I can empty other types of fields, I noticed that I can't do this
    • Necesito el código ZB para mi cuenta

      Hice cambio de servidor y no encuentro el codigo unico de cname.
    • Privacy error

      Privacy error on Chrome for all embedded forms and reports, this is a huge issue: "Your connection is not private Attackers might be trying to steal your information from creator.zohopublic.com (for example, passwords, messages, or credit cards). NET::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID"
    • Email with attachments saving attachments into Zoho CRM from Zoho Mail

      Hi, I get a lot of emails from prospective clients asking if we would bid their project. Those projects usually have many documents associated with them that I link to.  I would like to have those documents be saved as an attachment in my Potential or Contact or Account. I don't see a way to do that that isn't multi-step. As of now I do the following: 1.) Open email 2.) If email sender isn't in my Zoho CRM database I enter them creating a Potential 3.) I download the attachment and save it to a different
    • Bug - OTP (email) and No Duplicates

      Scenario: Form with an email field, Validation: "No Duplicates" (because I want to ensure 1 entry per email). Embedded form into website (JS option). Enabled email based OTP. 1st test (via my website) - entered my email address - sent OTP - entered pin,
    • Customise Search Bar in CRM

      Is there a way to customise this search bar in the CRM to add fields?
    • Counting downloads of a file

      Hello Could anyone help me, I would like to use a custom script to count how many times a file contained in a record has been downloaded. Is that something that is possible in Creator? Thanks Estelle
    • Is there any way to prevent emails from being sent from zoho crm without pressing email opt out?

      When I left my desk yesterday I excitedly thought I had fixed my problem, by making use of the "Inactive" field ... However after contacting the support chat, they have advised to stop emails being sent I need to update the "Email Opt Out" field - which
    • New Search Function

      Hey Team, The search function updated in our CRM about a week ago, so I assume it was an automated update across Zoho. It no longer displays leads/deals etc in Chronological order so that the most recently created or updated is the first to display which
    • New permissions for accessing emails sent via Zoho CRM

      Last modified on Nov 4, 2024: Permissions for accessing emails sent via Zoho CRM have now been extended to the IN DC. With this rollout, the feature is now available to all users across all DCs. Resources: Data sharing for emails, Configuring email compose
    • Mind Mapping

      Will Zoho consider a mind mapping application? I have seen some discussions that are some 10 years old. What is the status now?
    • is it possible to add more than one Whatsapp Phone Number to be integrated to Zoho CRM?

      so I have successfully added one Whatsapp number like this from this User Interface it seems I can't add a new Whatsapp Number. I need to add a new Whatsapp Number so I can control the lead assignment if a chat sent to Whatsapp Phone Number 1 then assign
    • Unable to send emails

      I have this email parth@mrcolumbus.in, but I couldnt send outgoing email. Can you please help?
    • Request for Alerts on Workflow and Function Changes.

      I want to get an alert whenever a new workflow or function is added or an existing workflow or function is edited. Is there any way to do that? I need to log all changes whenever updates are made or new ones are added.
    • Overwrite Option for custom modules

      Hi Team, I noticed that the overwrite option is unavailable in Zoho Books when importing data for custom modules. This limitation makes it challenging to bulk update old data, as the only option is the 'bulk update' feature, which is restricted to 25
    • Transfer Amount from One Vendor to Another Vendor

      One of the vendors, who has a balance with us, has closed the business and has started a new business; Now he wants me to transfer the outstanding from the old account to the new Vendor Account. I am trying to do this using Payment Settlement a/c, But
    • Been getting this error, every now and then "Get count limit exceeded, please try again after 3 mins"

      it is really annoying.
    • How to make Branch compulsory in Zoho Books invoice?

      How I make Branches compulsory in Zoho Books invoice?
    • Regarding GST Report Issue in Zoho Books

      Hi, Right now, the very important point from my end is this Zoho Books issue. Here, you can see that we have created the invoice with the items of account sales and expenses. The journal is also correct. The profit and Loss statement is also correct.
    • Function #57: Automatically group items in invoices based on categories

      Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series! As a business expands and new product lines are launched, it becomes important to organize the items for better inventory management. The Category field in Zoho Books helps here by allowing you to add and
    • Fixed asset management

      I want to know if there is any individual module for fixed assets management
    • Suppress "spreadsheet will not be saved" message on published sheet

      I have published a sheet and have one column on that sheet that the user can edit (a dropdown picklist where the user can select the status for each line). Is there a way to suppress the Zoho Sheet message "Any changes made to this published spreadsheet
    • Zoho Forms Unable to Save Account Numbers with a Leading Zero

      We are using Zoho Forms to for rental applications. It is working well, except for one thing:  when a user enters their bank account information, and that account number actually starts with a ZERO (like 00123456) the Zoho form will return the value without
    • Next Page